The Fair at New Boston is a festival/fair set in 1790-1810 with period vendors, entertainment and food. Tons to see and do.
2023 DATE: September 2-3, 2023
Location: 936 S Tecumseh Rd
Springfield, OH 45506
Website: https://www.facebook.com/FairatNewBoston/
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This post documents my experience on September 4, 2016.
Beyond the entrance banner, admission gate…
…and some area historical society booths…
…something magical happened.
As festival goers approached the Mad River military camp…
…with the possibility of seeing a cannon fire…
…they felt themselves pass through time while descending upon the Fair at New Boston.
Set between 1790 to 1810…
…the Fair at New Boston actually made the festival goer believe he or she had traveled to the past.
Booths and vendors were set up and dressed to the period…
…selling such merchandise as pewter…
…carved bowls…
…old firearms…
…fine paper…
…and various other period products.
Even the food was prepared according to the ways of the period…
…with such dishes as sausage…
…bison sandwiches…
…Scotch eggs (called forced eggs here)…
…slices of fresh bread with toppings…
…and peaches and poundcake…
…while taverns set up around made it easy to enjoy your food or just get something delicious to drink.
Entertainment waited for you in all areas of the grounds…
…via a puppet dance with musical accompaniment…
…an intimate dulcimer concert…
…presentations of bizarre and fantastic items…
…such as Benjamin Franklin’s key…
…and stages galore with scheduled performances.
Curious festival goers could learn about the Camera Obscura…
…explore the fort…
…play a game or two…
…hang out in the stocks…
…and take hikes into the woods to seek either medicinal springs…
…or an Indian village…
…where they could shoot a bow…
…or learn a bit about history.
And, believe me…
…there was a lot to learn from each of the historical characters…
…and experts on everything from medicine to death (or corpse harvesting in this case).
You could even learn how to juggle.
Kudos, man! You did it!